Revolting Stars and the Frayed Threads of Fate
by Optimum Ace
Summary: The GUARDIAN order protects the flow of time and space, and dedicates itself to averting catastrophe wherever it can. It is a thankless job with an impossible mission, but they find a sense of honor in their futile ventures. Delayinder is a rather gifted GUARDIAN, and the path of turmoil and disaster leads him to Runterra, where an old enemy waits for the right moment to strike.


Author's Note: Hello all and welcome to the first chapter of my League of Legends fan fiction! I had to take some things liberally given that a lot of the lore is not as fleshed out as it could be in the canon, and some of the actual world mechanics are also left up to speculation or extrapolation. Regardless, I really hope you enjoy this! Without further delay, here we go!

Disclaimer: I do not own League of Legends or any of its characters, but original content is my own.

* * *

**Chapter 1: **Honor Through Futility

The staccato crack of gunfire saturated the air, punctuated by the ring of the bolt action on thousands of rifles. The atmosphere was choked by the smog of black powder; the once clean, steam powered city was now drowning in the noxious byproduct of war.

The plane of Inyara was classified as 'non-magic industrial', but despite their non-magical lifestyle, their mode of self-slaughter was still as brutal as it was effective. In the capital city of a country known as Onyagher, defenders were making their final stand against the countries they had blitzed nearly eight years prior.

Nobody knew of the impending doom waiting just moments in the future -nobody save for one man. Delayinder Vekarion was a GUARDIAN operative assigned to this particular imminent disaster. Despite his best efforts, he had not yet been able to nip the problem in the bud.

The panicking defenders would activate an experimental power source in the hopes of powering a devastating war machine. However, this energy source would tap into the plane's dormant connection to the ether and cause a massive detonation of pent-up magic. The result would wipe out everything for hundreds of miles in all directions, and tear a hole in space-time allowing creatures of the void to come crawling in.

Posted in this plane by the GUARDIAN order specifically to prevent such catastrophe, Delayinder had been fighting alongside the Allied forces for nearly two years. When losing a war against an Imperialist juggernaut, people tend not to question the origins of a powerful ally.

Now the sand in the hourglass was down to but a few final grains, and the defending Onyagherians were well entrenched all the way up the massive iron staircase to their final stronghold.

Vekarion was not hard to spot in the fray; he was a stark contrast to those around him. Compared to the rugged infantry, covered in iron plates and different whirring machine assemblies, he looked much more sleek. He wore a full suit of gray and green armor -technologically advanced in appearance. The helmet had two glowing green optics where the eyes were, giving the helmet a rather menacing looking appearance.

"Commandant, we need to move now! We don't have much time left!" Delayinder had to yell over the roar of gunfire and the loud clang of bullets ricocheting off of their iron cover.

"They're putting out too much lead, there is now way we can make it up there! We should fall back and regroup!" The officer yelled back to Delayinder, blissfully unaware of the encroaching apocalypse.

"That is not an option, we have to get up there!" Delayidner gritted his teeth, watching the little timer in the upper left-hand corner of his vision ticking closer and closer to zero.

"We can't afford to lose any more men here, I'm calling it!" the Commandant yelled, giving his hand a wave to one of the relay officers across the field.

_'No, not now, not again. I can save this one... ugh, goddamnit!' _The GUARDIAN knew it was time to lay it all on the line. "Order the withdrawal, I'm going ahead. You're right, we can't lose any more men." He could Shock-Jump off of the plane and back to the GUARDIAN sanctuary whenever he wanted to, but he wasn't about to let a whole plane explode.

Leaping out from cover, he dashed as fast as he could toward the iron staircase, ignoring the officer yelling his name. Gunfire rained down around him, some of the rounds finding their target and denting his armor. Upon reaching the first line of defense, he was a whirlwind of blurred motion; his speed was incredible. It was as graceful as it was horrifying, glittering arcs of crimson flew in all directions with each stroke of his hand. What madness was this that men were being ripped to bloody ribbons by a touch of this soldier's fingers?

To a keen observer, the answer would be clear. From the tips of his fingers extended a shimmering wave of what would appear to be condensed heat ripples to the untrained eye. Each swipe of his hand cleaved through man and metal with sickening ease.

When the immediate threat around him had been neutralized, he continued his mad dash up the stairs, being fired on all the while. Every soldier that put himself between Vekarion and his destination was cut down without hesitation.

4:12... 4:11... 4:10... the clock was ticking and there was still half a staircase to go. Delayinder was being fired on from all sides now, and the sheer volume of fire was beginning to take its toll. Every so often, Delayinder would disappear in a bolt of green lightning and appear somewhere else , still running. This was known as Shock-Stepping, a less powerful version of Shock-Jumping. It was a physically taxing process, but he wasn't going to make it unless he avoided some of their fire.

A stream of liquid ruby was now running down the stairs as Delayinder felled as many men as dared put themselves in front of him. Nearing the top, those guarding the entrance attempted to close the massive steel doors that led to the interior of the fortress. One more Shock-Step and Delayinder was inside, the doors closed behind him.

The surprise that washed over those that had closed the door was short-lived, they had little time to process what they had seen before he slew them. When they had been dealt with, it was almost a clear shot into the massive hangar-like room that housed the object of encroaching destruction.

1:01... 1:00... 0:59...

A man in a science officer's uniform was climbing the scaffolding to the top of the device -a glowing gem in his hands. Taking off as fast as he could push his body, he cut through the guards, but each man cost him precious seconds on the clock.

0:11...

An already wounded guardsman plowed into Delayinder's side, knocking him off balance.

0:10...

More guards began to throw themselves into Delayinder, attempting only to delay him.

0:09...

Delayinder continued to cut through as many men as he could, but they were simply dog piling him.

0:08...

The impeded GUARDIAN looked up towards the scientist, now nearing the top of the scaffolding. Reaching up, Delayinder held his hand up towards the guard standing beside the scientist.

0:07...

Vekarion began to bristle with green static.

0:06...

The GUARDIAN appeared to implode upon himself leaving a single point of green light, the guard standing beside the scientist also disappeared in the same fashion.

0:05...

A split second later Delayinder appeared where the guard had been, lunging towards the scientist. The guard was being piled on where Delayinder had been just moments before. It was the ultimate GUARDIAN technique, the ability to tap into the weaving of time for a split second and change one thing. Often it was used for position swapping such as this, as anything more required too much energy and could easily kill the user.

0:04...

Delayinder swiped his hand at the science officer, and severed the man's arms from mid-forearm down. The officer screamed in agony, but all Delayinder could hear was his own heartbeat as he watched the crystal fall from the scaffolding, and shatter upon the ground.

The timer stopped at 0:03, apparently the Planar Space-time Mapping protocol believed the crisis had been averted. The steel door at the entrance of the fortress was blown off of its hinges; it seemed like the Allied Forces had arrived.

It was time for Vekarion to take his leave, his work was done -after two long years it was finally done. He had made many friends, and lost quite a few too; having to say goodbye was something he really wanted to avoid.

Focusing his remaining energy, he disappeared in a large bolt of green lightning, Shock-Jumping back to the GUARDIAN sanctuary.

-*W*W*-

"High Summoner Hauking, I have some interesting developments to report."

An elderly looking summoner was scrawling away at a scroll in the bright sunlight pouring through his office window. Pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, the graying summoner looked up at the younger summoner who had entered his office.

"Interesting developments you say? Please do explain, you have my full attention," Hauking said, setting down his fountain pen and folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Well, as you know Ryze has been working with Zilean in search of a way to help cure his chrono-displasia -peering into Zileans visions from across time and space. Much of it is gobbled nonsense from far away worlds, however all of it is recorded anyway," the younger summoner explained, beginning to pace. "Well, enough data has been accumulated to start seeing some odd patterns and similarities. Despite obvious differences in the visions -era, location, races, technology, magic- sometimes there are beings that are seemingly out of place, but near identical to one another. This leads us to believe that there exists a group of beings that scour the multi-verse. If such a thing is true, and they can control their ability to travel through space and time, then they may be in possession of a cure for Zilean's condition," the young summoner seemed rather excited about the possibility.

"Interesting, but you do know it is against League policies to forcibly summon a being here against its will, unless the circumstances are dire," the older summoner warned, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Yes I am well aware High Summoner, as it stands it would be nigh impossible to track one of these beings down as it is -they have a tendency to jump from place to place without so much as a trace. It is simply that the existence of these beings that is rather fascinating, my reason for coming here is to secure time and funding to research this further," the young summoner explained, the vigor that came with youth and energy apparent in his eyes.

"Very well, your request is granted," the older man said after a long pause. "Please keep me updated on the progression of your research."

The idea of a group of beings that marauded around the universe did not quite surprise the older gentleman, in fact he would have been surprised if there _wasn't_ such a group. However, he was old and had grown weary in his age. There had to be a reason these people were travelling from world to world. The question was, were their intentions righteous or malevolent? What did it mean for Valoran if one of them showed up here? What did it mean for Runterra?

The old summoner did not have the time to think about it now, he would worry about it when the time came -if the time came. However, he did not believe in coincidence, and if these beings did ride along the ebb and flow of time and space then this discovery was no happenstance.

-*W*W*-

Delayinder walked the great halls of the GUARDIAN sanctuary; the little piece of paradise was floating somewhere in a pocket of subverted void. Those of his order came in all different flavors, and he noted each of them as he passed.

Adjudicators were those gifted with the best foresight, they could see the workings of social dynamic and had strong intuition on how to manipulate it to create the desired outcome. They were often deployed to planes that required only diplomatic guidance to avoid disaster. Adjudicators looked regal in their long flowing robes of gray and green -the Master Adjudicators even more so.

Every so often one would spy a GUARDIAN of the Raider branch, a dark looking bunch with rag-tag uniforms that never stayed the same for longer than a day. They appeared to be more like assassins than soldiers, and their duties were not far removed from said profession. Raiders handled hunter-killer operations, dealing with groups of terrorists or government parties that would single-handedly bring about the destruction of their plane. Strong in the art of Combat Intuition, they can read the movements of their enemies and find weaknesses in even the most impregnable force.

Delayinder himself was an Interdictor, those who are called upon when all else fails. Only the most dedicated of the GUARDIAN order are called upon to become Interdictors. Strongly connected to the multiverse in a way that others could only dream of, they are deployed for years at a time to the most dire of situations. Like commandos they operate alone, with state-of-the-art equipment to supplement their exceptional skills.

Interdictors were few, and when one of them walked through the halls of the Guardian sanctuary, people took notice. The dented armor, the trickles of blood that ran from fresh wounds, the scent of ozone from a fresh Shock-Jump, they were truly a sight to behold.

Those in his path cleared the way. The younger GUARDIANs gave him uneasy gazes while the older GUARDIANs instead, offered dirty or disdainful looks. All of them were ignored, it was something Delayinder was used to.

Upon reaching the office he was supposed to report to, he found his mentor already waiting outside. Paradigm Orgo was a middle aged man with a friendly demeanor. Wrinkles creased the corners of his mouth from years of constant smiling and grinning, though they were well-hidden beneath the bushy salt and pepper lumberjack beard.

"Delan! Looks like you're back in one piece and you accomplished your mission. Very well done if I do say so myself! Please do step inside my office, we have some things we need to discuss." the senior officer almost always called Delayinder by his nickname -Orgo was the only real friend he had in the order.

Following Paradigm Orgo into the office, Delan took a seat opposite the man's desk and waited for his commander to speak.

"Well, I'm going to get right to it Interdictor Vekarion," Delayinder shifted uneasily in his seat. Orgo only spoke to him in an official capacity when he was about to say something Delan didn't like. "We're promoting you to Paragon, you only have one Shock-Jump booster left in your suit." There it was, exactly what Delayinder didn't want to hear.

"But sir, I only just got back from my most recent assignment. I thought I would do some work on-sanctuary for a while," Delayinder argued, hoping that he could sway the decision. A GUARDIAN was only promoted to Paragon status when he was going to make his final jump to a plane where he would live out the rest of his life as the plane's acting GUARDIAN. Many GUARDIANs chose to return to their home plane for this situation, a possibility that did not exist for Delan whose home plane had been destroyed.

"I'm sorry Delan, I know that you have been dreading Paragon promotion for a while. However as it stands, you're the perfect operative for the job. Initial reports proved inconclusive, the plane is so heavily affected by magic sources and exterior forces that we cannot accurately gauge the events that will lead to its demise. So, we have taken on a preemptive stance and as such we need an operative to deploy immediately," the Paradigm explained, trying to get Delan interested.

The new Paragon remained silent however, his helmeted head angled down to look at the floor.

Orgo sighed, running a hand through his buzz cut.

"Look, you have the best track record of any Interdictor currently in service. You have yet to fail a mission and you have received multiple commendations for your vigilance and sacrifice in duty -with such uncertainty fogging our ability to pinpoint the issue, we need someone who will stop at nothing to see the assignment through. Of course there is also the issue of... well, you know. It's not like we're booting you out, but how much work do you honestly think you'll get done on-sanctuary?" Orgo asked after explaining his reasoning.

"Orgo you know I would never turn my back on the GUARDIANs! I'm not like him, I'm _not_ a Faellen!" Delan's temper flared for a moment, and for a second it looked like he was ready to shoot straight to his feet.

"Calm down, calm down. I know you wouldn't, but you can't blame them for being cautious. Your master was a Faellen, and you chose to stay with the GUARDIANs -you should be able to see how they would be suspicious," Orgo tried to be reasonable; Delayinder visibly relaxed.

"Yes, I know you're right," Delan heaved a heavy sigh before reaching up to snap open the seals on his helmet. Pulling the headgear free he ruffled his messy, mint green hair and fixed his sharp emerald gaze back on Orgo.

"Alright so here are the details we have. The place you are going to be operating in is known as Runterra, and it is home to some powerful magic. Spacetime is in flux here from the powerful magic unleashed upon the planet over the course of several devastating wars. Interestingly enough, there is a local organization known as the League of Legends that is trying to stabilize the world in both terms of music and politics." Delayinder though that this organization sounded a lot like their own. "Now, this League of Legends is apparently aware of the existence of other worlds in their own plane, and in some cases of other planes beyond their own. This leads us to believe that the best course of action would be to approach the League directly, and try to cooperate with them for the sake of their world. Our sources tell us that they have a substantial amount of resources at their disposal, and working with them would yield the greatest chance of success."

Delan nodded silently, still looking genuinely disgruntled about the situation.

"There's no way I could be granted more booster charges for my suit?" Delan asked, looking for any way possible to keep from being sent off on his final jump.

"You know the answer to that. You're only allowed a limited number of jumps and then you retire. Even if we wanted to we couldn't give you more charges. Ever since the schism, we need to limit the amount of damage that can be done by a GUARDIAN that defects to the Faellen. Come on Delan you know that already," Orgo gave a disappointed shake of his head, he had hoped Delan would take the news better than this.

"Now, no more wasting time. Go to the regression chamber to get your years back, and prepare for your final jump. The GUARDIANs will always have your back Delan, it's time you believe that when it matters, we put as much faith in you as you put in us. Dismissed, Paragon Vekarion. I wish you the best of luck," Orgo stood and walked out from behind his desk, smiling as usual. Extending his hand he offered one final handshake to his friend.

'_I know you have good intentions Orgo, I just wish I could feel better about them,'_ Delan thought to himself, forcing a smile as he took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake.

After leaving the Paradigm's office, Delayinder spent the next several hours getting his armor repaired and submitting himself to a medical work-up. Finally he was able to go to the regression chamber to have some of his age shaved off.

To many GUARDIANs, Paragon promotion and posting was a reward for a hard life of service. As such, the regression chamber was used to return you to your prime. In this way, you had a full life left to live once you made your final jump, and of course you'd be at tip-top shape to deal with whatever threats may come your way. The only other GUARDIANs that ever used the regression chamber were those that had been on extended assignments.

Powerful GUARDIANs like Delan didn't necessarily _need_ much regression, as they were able to slow their own process of aging down to nearly nothing -this was basically a formality.

"All done Paragon Vekarion, you may now head to the platform and make your final Shock-Jump. Good luck," said one of the technicians once the machine had stopped.

Delan gave him a small nod before exiting the machine and snapping his helmet back into place. The walk from the regression chamber to the Jump Platform was a blur. Before he knew it, the reluctant Paragon was standing on the jump platform and getting his suit ready for its final Shock-Jump.

_'Well, here we go.'_

Delan's suit began to bristle with green static. Tapping into the final Shock-Jump booster, Delayinder Vekarion disappeared in a massive bolt of green lightning.

-*W*W*-

High Summoner Hauking was meandering about the garden in one of the courtyards of the Institute of War. It was a bright and sunny day, yet it felt like a lingering touch of fate was hanging heavily in the air. It had felt that way for weeks; since the moment the acolyte summoner had come to him with information on a group of beings that seemed to travel from world to world.

"High Summoner! High Summoner Hauking!" As if to validate his unease, the distressed exclamations of that same young summoner reached the elderly man's ears.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Something has happened! Please come with me, I'll explain on the way!" He exclaimed, looking flushed with exertion and positively out of breath -he had likely ran all across the Institute looking for Hauking.

With haste, the pair headed back into the institute, apparently heading towards one of the summoning chambers -the acolyte's mouth running a million miles a minute all the while.

"It was just so sudden! There was this disturbance, like a brief feeling of vertigo. Then 'boom!' a bright green bolt of lightning! Right inside, right in the summoning chamber! And... and... he was just _there_!"

"Calm down summoner, _who_ was there?" Hauking asked, trying to piece together what the younger summoning was saying.

"A GUARDIAN!"

"A GUARDIAN...?"

"Yes sir, a GUARDIAN -that is what we believe those beings call themselves, the ones who travel from world to world. We currently have him contained in one of the summoning chambers." They were coming up on the aforementioned summoning chamber now.

Upon entering the room, the High Summoner found a pair of summoners keeping a field up around an armored figure, the person whom Hauking could only assume was the GUARDIAN. The newcomer was sitting on the floor, back against the wall resting his arms on his knees -if he didn't know better, the High Summoner might have mistaken him for a construct rather than an armored person.

The armored man's head tipped upwards to look at the two people entering the room, the glowing green optics in the helmet giving him a particularly otherworldly appearance.

"Hello there, I'm High Summoner Hauking and I represent the League of Legends. I would like to apologize for having to detain you, but we can't take any chances these days -especially given the dangerous nature of a few recent arrivals to Runeterra."

The armored man stood up and straightened out his posture.

"I am Paragon Delayinder Vekarion of the GUARDIAN Order, and I understand your concerns -better safe than sorry," the man replied. At least he sounded reasonable, and that was a better start than many recent arrivals to Runterra -Cho 'gath, Malzahar, Kog 'Maw, and Kha 'Zix just to name a few.

"To what do we owe the pleasure Paragon Vekarion? From what we know of your order, GUARDIANs only appear in the most dire of circumstances. Is there something we should know?" the young summoner spoke, hardly able to contain his questions -finally, a real live GUARDIAN that he could question! Hauking said nothing, the questions were legitimate and he too was curious to hear the answers.

The GUARDIAN looked rather surprised by this statement, his posture suddenly straightening and his head tipping slightly to the side in a quizzical manner.

"I was unaware that anyone knew of the Order that had not yet been visited by them. Though I am curious to know just how you have learned of us, those questions can wait until later," Delayinder said, scratching at the back of his helmet as if it were an extension of his own head. "However, you would be correct. I am here for a purpose, your world _is_ in danger. Normally we can see into the future and know exactly what we are preventing. However, the nature of Runterra and the sheer amount of flux caused by external forces has made it impossible to pinpoint. I was sent to work with the League of Legends who -if I am correctly informed- act as a mediating organization for the entirety of this land. I was hoping that through your resources and influence, I could keep watch for Runterra. Regardless of time or place, it is my duty to stand guard, for however long is necessary."

The High Summoner stroked his beard as he listened to the GUARDIAN, the tone in his voice led the man to believe Delayinder was a particularly driven man.

"Tell me then Paragon Vekarion, despite what you say, what reason has the League to trust you with our resources?" Hauking didn't truly distrust the man, he was just curious as to what the man would say to prove his resolve.

"Because this has been my final deployment. When the situation is resolved, I will not be returning to the GUARDIAN sanctuary. Runterra will be my home now, and I have no intentions of letting it fall apart," his affirmation was made without the slightest moment of hesitation. In fact, it was so resolute that the High Summoner had to wonder if there wasn't an additional reason dwelling deeper somewhere.

There was a long pause before the elderly summoner gave a wave of his hands towards the two summoners keeping Delayinder detained. They released their magic and the barrier fell, Delayinder was now free to move around.

"Alright then Delayinder, I believe there is a way we can help one another. I am prepared to offer you a position as an enforcer of the League -a mediator where tensions are high, an investigator where crimes cross borders, and a soldier where force is needed. In this way you will be a representative of the League and have free reign to go nearly anywhere you please, and as such you will be able to do your job as a GUARDIAN properly. In return we would ask that you become a Champion of the League -should you pass all qualifications of course," there it was, the diplomatically appropriate offer that the League of Legends had become known for. The Institute of War was home to many champions, many of them getting something out of their service in the League.

"Your offer is accepted."

"Just like that? No questions, no concerns?" the acolyte summoner was quick to respond.

"From what I have gathered, the League of Legends has good intentions and is the best chance this plane has for prolonged peace. I'm sure you will explain to me all I need to know and understand, just as I hope you will trust my judgment when the time comes." The GUARDIAN reached up and removed whatever was latch was holding his helmet in place.

Pulling the headgear off and tucking it beneath his left arm, he stepped forward towards the High Summoner and extended his hand.

"I look forward to working together," Delayinder said, once Hauking accepted the offered hand and gave it a firm shake. One could tell a lot about a person through their handshake, and Delayinder seemed to be an upfront man of his word.

-*W*W*-

Delan spent much of the remaining day both answering questions about himself and the GUARDIAN Order, and discussing what it meant to be a Champion of the League. Apparently he'd be subjected to multiple tests to see if he was suited to being a League Champion.

The young acolyte summoner -whom had asked him questions nonstop for nearly two hours- assured him that he had nothing to worry about, claiming "If Delayinder was as good a GUARDIAN as his rank denoted, than he should pass the League trials without issue".

It was already late when Delayinder was provided quarters in which he would be able to stay in the Institute Hall. With nothing to unpack, all he could think about was how great it would feel to sleep.

It would seem however, the Delan's body had other plans. Despite how exhausted he was, having gone non-stop for the better part of two days, he could not fall asleep. After several fruitless hours of tossing and turning in his new bed, Delan decided to take a walk around to try and clear his head.

Donning his armor and helmet -more of a force of habit than anything- he stepped out into the Institute halls and began to wander around. It was quiet, it seemed as if everyone had turned in for the night by this hour. He quickly slipped into his own thoughts in the silence, and was unaware of another looming presence until he was being shouted at.

"Halt! What are you doing here, intruder!" the voice was female, and when Delayinder looked he found that it belonged to woman clad in golden armor, trimmed in red. Her long blonde hair matched the armor, but it was hardly her most striking feature -that would have had to be her wings.

Delayinder gave his head a shake to bring him back to his senses.

"Intruder...?" he looked in either direction before pointing to himself. "Who? Me? I'm not an intruder."

"You look like an assassin if I have ever seen one! Nobody skulks around at night in full armor!" The winged-woman exclaimed, now brandishing a rather sizable sword.

"But... aren't you wandering the halls in full armor?" Delan asked, scratching at the side of his helmet.

"W-what?! That's different, I work here!"

"So do I, I'm a League enforcer," Delayinder replied.

"That's impossible. _I'm_ a League enforcer and mediator, don't you think I'd know if you were as well!?" She sounded as if she was losing her patience.

"I was just appointed today, I only just arrived," he rebutted, holding his hands up in front of him in an explanatory gesture.

"A likely story! Don't you think I would have been notified of a newcomer to the League!?" She looked like she was about to lunge at him when voices started echoing through the halls. Apparently the noise had awoken some of the other residents.

"What's all this commotion about?" A voice called down the echoing halls, louder than the rest of the murmurs. It sounded like High Summoner Hauking.

"I am Dealing with an intruder, High Summoner." The winged woman never took her gaze off of Delan, as if he was going to suddenly vanish into vapor should her gaze stray.

"Intruder?" The High Summoner was just coming into full view now. "Oh, Delayinder. I see you've met Kayle. Where is this intruder?"

A deadpan expression played over the features of the woman known as Kayle, before settling into a look of disbelief.

"You mean this man is not an intruder then?"

"Oh, no no. Delayinder here is a new League enforcer and will be running the trials to becoming a Champion soon," the High Summoner explained, pacing a little as he did so.

"Ah I see..." Kayle lowered her weapon finally.

Delan could see she looked a bit embarrassed, it was likely that she did not often make such mistakes -if at all.

"I... apologize for the misunderstanding, Delayinder..."

"No need to apologize, you were only doing your job. Had I been an assassin, you would have caught me red-handed. It's not your fault that you were ill-informed of my arrival," he said, trying to be reassuring -if she was a League enforcer like he was, chances were they would be working together in the future. If that was the case, he didn't want this incident casting an embarrassing shadow on them both.

"Oh? Well... thank you."

"Now then, if this matter has been taken care of, I will return to my dormitory to keep from causing any further problems. Goodnight."

Heading back to his room, all was rather quiet once again. Upon finally arriving at his dorm, Delan would find sleep the moment his head hit the pillow, sleep finally taking him for the first time since he left Inyara.

-*W*W*-

The following week was brutal; from the moment Delayinder woke up each day, he was subjected to all manner of different tests and trials. There were trials to test his strength, trials to test his magic, tests of his mental fortitude, and of course testing of his endurance.

Once it was declared that he satisfied all requirements, Delan was officially inducted as a League enforcer, and Champion. Now, for the first time since he had gotten to Runterra, he had a chance to simply sit and rest.

Having stolen away to a quiet, shady spot on the Institute grounds, Delan sat under a tree -notebook in his hands. His helmet sat beside him, letting his messy mane of minty green hair blow around in the summer breeze.

Unbeknownst to him, he had a silent and cunning observer -a creature as curious as she was deadly. Naught but a pair of pointed black ears and golden eyes poked over the top of a nearby hedge.

Ahri of course, was originally a fox. Having been a fox, it was impossible to suppress all her former instincts -curiosity being the greatest of them all. Creeping closer to the mysterious man -whom she had seen only once before, and only from a distance- she tried to observe him.

From his pen strokes, it was clear he was not writing; it looked more like he was sketching. Well, that just made her _more_ curious. She wanted to know what he was drawing!

Creeping around the hedges, the crafty nine-tailed fox approached the tree from behind. On all fours, she peered around the trunk of the tree to get a look at what the man was drawing. Unfortunately, her tails didn't always obey her like they should. With the help of the wind, one of her tails blew into his peripheral vision on the other side of the tree from where she was peeking.

"What the...?"

"So, what are you drawing?" She said, announcing her presence instead of being discovered.

"Gah! Oh... wait... I have seen you before," he said, closing his notebook before she could get a real good look at what was on the page. He looked like he had been spooked for a moment, but his surprise faded quickly.

"Yes you have," she said, turning on her trademarked charm.

"Ah well, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to relaxing here with my notebook -good to see you again." Without a word more, he adjusted his position against the tree and went back to his notebook -angling it so she could not see.

A look of confusion washed over Ahri; what happened? This man didn't give her a second look! That never happened, Ahri could draw whoever she wanted into her charms -so why did this man not bat an eye?!

She needed to try harder!

"So, what are you drawing? Maybe I could sit with you a while and you can show me?" she asked, her voice sultry and inviting.

"I'm sorry, I'd rather keep this to myself. It's more like a journal, you see." He just kept on sketching away, the drawings angled away from her.

Ahri had to suppress a pout -poorly. Why was he not listening to her? Fine, if he was just going to ignore her, then she would ignore him!

Turning up her nose, she turned around and started to walk away, her tails waving behind her.

"Bye, then," she said, sounding as apathetic as she could. Ahri didn't need the likes of him to keep herself entertained! She could ignore him just as easily!

But maybe... if she watched him more, then she could find a way to discover what he was all about. Right! There had to be a way, she would adapt like she always did!

A sly smile crossed her features, and when she was far enough away, she turned around to find a new spot to hide and observe.

"Huh?!" Ahri blinked in surprise, he was simply... gone!

But... nobody escapes the Nine-Tailed Fox!

-*W*W*-

The warning was brief, mere moments before he blacked out even. Delan was told that matches were usually scheduled ahead of time, and priority matches were scheduled weeks in advance even. He was positive however, once his mind cleared and his vision returned, that he was standing on the spawn fountain of Summoner's Rift.

_'Disorienting...'_ Delan thought to himself.

_'You get used to it,'_ someone replied in his head. It must have been his summoner Delan reasoned.

_'I thought matches were pre-scheduled?'_

_'They are, but the 5th champion for this match needed to attend to urgent business, and thus could not participate in today's match. Your teammates today are Vayne, the Night Hunter...' _Delan was urged to look at a pale woman in a black body suit, who was armed with crossbows.

_'...Luxanna Crownguard, the Lady of Luminosity...' _Delan's gaze was directed to a blonde woman clad in silver armor with gold trim, she seemed to be wielding a baton or wand of sorts.

_'...Soraka, the Starchild...' _He was compelled to look at a horned woman with blue skin and silver-white hair.

_'... and I believe you have already met Kayle, the Judicator.'_

Delan felt a pang of nervousness that was not his own.

_'Are you alright summoner?'_

'_This is my first real match, just like it is yours. They figured that as the only one who has done any real research on the GUARDIANS, it was fitting.'_ Wait, was this the summoner he had met upon first arrival.

_''Summoner Nikos?'_ Delan was pleasantly surprised to at least have a summoner he knew personally.

_'Yes it's me, I hope I do you proud, Paragon Vekarion.'_

'_I'm sure you'll do fine Nikos, I hope that I manage to do alright,'_ Delayinder reassured his summoner.

The other champions were looking at him now, a skeptical look on all the faces he could actually see.

"So, where is the new guy going? He doesn't look like much," the woman known as Vayne said, crossing her arms.

"He's got a new summoner too, no affiliation to any nation," the woman known as Soraka added.

"No established reputation, no established skillet -tactically unviable," the Champion called Luxanna added.

Delayinder stayed silent, letting them speak their piece.

"Let him fend for himself in the jungle, a new guy in any of the lanes will just be a liability," Vayne said, pushing her sunglasses further up the bridge of her nose.

"I agree with your assessment," Lux nodded.

Upon purchasing the proper enchantments from the shop, the team set out into their proper positions. Nikos guided Delan into the jungle and directed him to what looked to be an encampment of wolves.

_'Your purpose in the jungle, is to kill monsters and accumulate gold for doing so, it is important to maintain control of the blessings granted by the Elder Lizard, and the Ancient Golem. From the jungle you are expected to support the lanes the best you can -though given the sound of it they are not expecting much from us,' _Nikos explained.

Delayinder navigated the jungle, guided by urges he felt from summoner Nikos until he came to a camp of wolves, tucked away into a small clearing amongst the trees.

_'Alright Delan, get in there and deal with those wolves.'_

The GUARDIAN took a deep breath before projecting energy blades from fingertips; it was the same technique he used on Inyara -he called them Etherium Blades.

Leaping into the camp, he assaulted the largest wolf first. Focusing an excess of energy into the Etherium Blades caused them to expand and glow brighter for a single, devastating attack. The blades ripped through the large wolf and after a quick flurry of blows, and the two smaller wolves did not last long after the larger one had been slain.

_'There we are, you racked up some gold. How do you feel?'_ Nikos commented once the wolves were dead.

_'I feel sluggish and a bit weaker than usual. Is that normal?'_ Delan asked, examining his hand as if it were a dulled blade.

_'Yes that is in fact completely normal. You have to get re-acclimated to your body and skills every match. It is a side effect of a summoner and champion being bound into one avatar I'm afraid. However it provides an advantage if utilized correctly. A champion doing extraordinarily well, will find their power returning to them faster and thus will be more effective.'_

_'I see. Very well, guide me to my next objective,' _Delan said, running off in the direction he felt drawn towards.

Delan navigated the jungle several times, killing camps of monsters and continually acquiring the blessings of the jungle beasts when he could. Eventually however, it was time for him to step up and support the lanes, as was his job.

According to Nikos, the middle lane was having a rough time with the opposing champion -a man named Gragas, also called the "Rabble Rouser." Gragas was apparently a hearty man with an affinity for alcohol in all of its varieties -magical and volatile included.

Skulking in the brush, Delan observed the exchange between the two. They both looked rather beaten and battered, and both of them seemed to be playing it as safe as possible. They seemed to be focused on killing the minion constructs, which he had been told before grant gold to be spent on enchantments and such.

_'It doesn't look like we're going to get an opportunity to gank here, we should move somewhere more useful,' _Nikos spoke up after a long moment.

_'Hold on, I have a feeling we'll be needed in just a second. Gragas seems to be getting more aggressive and I... just have this feeling, trust me.'_

Nikos sounded like he was about to say something again, when an axe came flying from the opposite set of bushes and into the lane. The flying iron weapon slammed into Lux's armor and knocked her off balance, effectively keeping her from escaping as quickly as she might have liked to.

_'Delan-!'_

_'Already on it!'_

The GUARDIAN dashed forward from the bush towards Lux and the encroaching attacker.

_'That is Olaf the Berserker, beware his axes, his swings have been known to outright flatten the toughest armor!' _Nikos chimed in.

Lux was caught by the hulking berserker, and it looked like he was about to cleave her in twain with a mighty swing, when Delayinder appeared beside him in a bolt of green lightning. The surprise attack coupled with the forceful shoulder-check gave Lux the time she needed to retreat to the relative safety of the defensive tower.

Olaf roared in anger, but he was already being set upon by the Guardian and his Etherium Blades. The berserker took several slashes before he was even able to defend himself properly -not that he was very effective at it after being so suddenly wounded. Channeling energy into his Etherium Blades, Delan draw back his hand and impaled Olaf when he saw an opening. The enemy champion collapsed in a brilliant burst of blue flames, dead for a short time according to the system in place for League matches.

A barrel rolled up beside Delan, looking as if it were about to burst at the seams.

_'Delan move!'_

Realizing this was a form of attack, Delan tried to dodge out of the way. The fuse on the barrel-bomb however, was quicker. The barrel detonated with enough force to knock Delayinder down and send him skittering across the lane.

His body screamed at him when he tried to move, everything hurt; each pore of his body felt as if it had been permeated by arcane energies. He had to move though, and quickly. Gragas was approaching and he had no intentions of letting Delan get away. Forcing himself to his feet, Delan was just in time to doge a massive foot coming down to crush him, a large cloud of dust kicked up into the air from impact.

Forcing away any perception of pain, the Paragon set himself upon Gragas with all the ferocity he could muster. Luckily, given the wounds the larger man had already sustained from his extended fight in-lane, Delan was able to fend him off.

_'Well done Delan! You managed to scare him off! We should go back to the fountain and he-"_ Nikos was cut off as Delan started moving again.

_'I have no intentions of just fending him off...'_ Delan replied, closing the distance between himself and the retreating Gragas until he could go no further under threat of turret fire. Raising his arm, a mechanism attached to his armor started to spin and whir.

A magnificent bolt of what appeared to be a hypervelocity blur of green split the air, thunder filling its wake. The bolt struck Gragas in the back, and he fell to the ground in an eruption of blue flames.

Heading back to the turret so he could recall, he was met with another question -the inquirer however, was not his summoner.

"What exactly was that you hit him with, and why had it been so effective?" Lux inquired, looking particularly worse for wear, but the green aura surrounding her suggested she was undergoing some sort of healing affect -likely a potion.

"My Etherium Blades," he said, bringing up his hands and projecting them for her to see, "they cut more than just the physical and arcane. These blades cut the ebb and flow of time itself, and how it affects you. Think of it as paper becoming scrunched, wrinkled, twisted, or ripped," he explained. "Now, the device on my arm fires what we call a "Shock-Bolt," the primary purpose of which is to reseal and smooth damage in the flow of the universe. The bolt itself is damaging to living beings, but one that has been cut by my Etherium Blades suffers devastating effect -more so if they have been cut more than once. Think of it as a paperweight moving over scrunched, twisted, and wrinkled paper. It smoothes by brute force, it doesn't care if everything goes back to its correct place."

Lux looked mildly interested, though she was far from surprised -there were many interesting champions with many interesting abilities.

"Oh, and thank you," she said, not sounding the least bit begrudging, "for saving me back there. We may not die forever here, but it is still painful and bad for the team."

"No problem," Delan said as a blue beam of light descended upon him, this was the recall spell that took him back to the fountain when he was not in combat.

Returning to the fountain and recovering from the wounds he sustained, he was urged towards the shop where he could buy more enchantments and do better in combat. Nikos suggested that he buy items that would allow him to make his attacks more potent, and those that would supplement his natural armor penetration capabilities.

Upon leaving the fountain and descending the steps of the base, Delan ducked back into the jungle, to make a pass at all the monster camps that led to the top lane.

_'It appears as if Kayle as recalled to the fountain, perhaps we can ambush the enemy top laner if we wait in the river brush,' _Nikos suggested.

_'Who is the enemy top lane?' _Delayinder inquired, slipping into concealment by the edge of the lane.

_'Renekton the Butcher of the Sands, a highly mobile melee fighter. He's a large reptilian beast on the fringes of sanity with insatiable bloodlust and strength to back it up.'_

After a little bit of waiting, Nikos spoke up again.

_'He doesn't appear to be here, we should move back into the jungle,' _Nikos suggested.

Delan was about to agree when he caught the glimmer of two red eyes staring at him from the bushes opposite him.

"Shit!" Delan exclaimed, diving out of the bush and into the lane just in time to avoid the massive reptilian as he corkscrew-dashed into the place the GUARDIAN had just been hiding. "How did he know?" Delan yelled out loud, but it was meant for Nikos.

_'There must have been a ward!'_ Nikos exclaimed.

Renekton was unrelenting; an enraged roar rose high into the air as the Butcher of the Sands charged Delan once more. The Paragon hardly had time to recover before the reptilian beast had set upon him with his massive crescent blade. Parrying the weapon with his Etherium Blades, the blow was strong enough to buckle Delan's stance and bring him to one knee.

The second blow broke Delan's block and stunned him with sheer brutal force. Another stroke of the crescent blade had landed before the GUARDIAN recovered. He could feel warm liquid running down the inside of his armor from where the blade had fallen -he needed to move.

A bolt of green lightning pierced the air as Delan appeared behind the oversized lizard. Taking this opening, the Paragon ripped into his foe with the Etherium Blades to great effect. Much to his dismay however, the beast still did not go down. Instead it whipped around in a wide slash with its crescent blade, cutting a deep swath in Delan's chest plate.

_'You're too hurt Delan! Run!'_ Nikos urged. Delan was in no position to argue.

Delan turned tail and started sprinting towards the friendly lane tower, Renekton in close pursuit. Just when it seemed that Renekton was going to catch him, the tower pulsed blue and an arcane bolt of energy splashed across Renekton. The beast roared and quickly backed off into the bushes.

_'What a monstrosity...'_ Delan commented.

_'He is known as the Butcher of the Sands for a reason.'_

"What happened? Where's Renekton?" It sounded like Kayle had returned from her trip to the fountain.

"He's in the bushes, but fairly wounded. I think you should be able to push and be alright," Delan replied, trying to keep pressure on one of his bleeding wounds.

"You going to be alright?" Kayle asked. Was that concern in her voice? Delan couldn't tell, he was just trying to stay standing.

_'One of the enchantments you bought last time was Life Steal, if you duck back into the jungle and pick off some of the weaker monsters, we can get you feeling a bit better,' _Nikos chimed in, he sounded rather fatigued himself. It dawned on Delan that they shared senses -he must have been in considerable pain as well.

Doing as Nikos suggested, Delayinder headed back into the jungles to try and recover using the Life Steal enchantments he had acquired. When he was feeling better again -or at least well enough to get back to ganking lanes- he did so with as much vigor as he could.

Over the course of the match, the bottom lane proved to be the one that was most difficult to gank. The lane consisted of Nautilus, the Titan of the Depths, and Varus, the Arrow of Retribution. Nautilus was huge, armored, and could take a lot of punishment. He often used the massive anchor and chain he carried as both a cudgel and a grappling hook to pull Delan in. Varus was hard to get close to, and made it difficult to get around. His arrows were tainted with some kind of disease or rot, and he could make the very ground you walked on fight against you like a fungus or a parasite.

To make matters worse, Vayne and Soraka were not much help. They often left him to fend for himself when he came into the lane, instead of attacking with him -and more than once it cost him his life. It was a most painful and demoralizing experience.

Many of both teams' towers had been destroyed by this point, and the lane phase had ended. Now, each team would fully engage and fight in the hopes of pushing the other back enough to get a shot at the minion inhibitors, and after that, the nexus.

One more team-fight would decide the fate of this match, and after the initial engagement, Delan's team had been pushed back -weakened and fatigued.

"They're catching up," Lux commented, out of breath and sounding rather raspy.

Sure enough, when Delan looked over his shoulder, he saw the enemy team in hot pursuit. Vayne was lagging behind, having been the last out of the engagement and being rather seriously injured.

"Everyone go, I'll hold them as long as I can manage. Fight them off in the base," Delan said before turning back around.

"You cannot go alone, we need everyone we can or we'll lose the nexus," Soraka interjected.

"And if I do not go, they'll catch us and we'll all die. Go, I'll get Vayne out of there. She deals the most damage." Not wasting any more time on words, he took off back towards Vayne and the pursuing enemy team. Varus was drawing back one of his Piercing Arrows -a devastating, long ranged shot imbued with the virus that seemed to permeate his very essence.

_'She's not going to make it!' _Nikos exclaimed.

_'Like hell!' _Delan retorted. Holding his hand up towards Vayne, his armor began to bristle with green arcs of electricity. Vayne too began to crackle with the same energy before both of them were pulled into singularity.

Their places swapped as if that is how it always had been. Back in relative safety, a confused Night Hunter was gathered up by the rest of the team while Delan was descended upon by the full might of the enemy.

Knowing beforehand of the incoming attack, Delan dodged the arrow loosed by Varus and hurled himself at Renekton, the nearest champion. Attacking with a ferocity the Paragon only found when others depended upon him, he slashed at the beast's knees. Using this crippling blow, he then Shock-Stepped behind Renekton and pumped energy into his Etherium Blades before burying them in the reptile's spine. The Butcher of the sands roared in anger and anguish before he collapsed in a pyre of blue.

Turning his sights next to Olaf, Delan deflected an incoming axe and charged at the berserker. He managed to land a few blows from his Etherium Blades before a barrel tossed by Grages sent him sprawling across the ground like a ragdoll.

Dragging himself back to his feet he attempted to make another charge, but one of Varus's arrows pierced his right knee and effectively immobilized him. Blood pouring from his wounds, his body awash in the burn of arcane energies, there was nothing he could do. Olaf was running at him, axe raised over his head and prepared to deliver the killing blow.

"Light protect you!" Was that Kayle's voice?

Delayinder was bracing himself for the worst, but instead he found himself awash in a golden aura. When Olaf swung his axe simply plinked off of his armor like a wave breaking against the shore. Looking back he saw Kayle and the rest of the team, charging down lane to meet the enemy team.

"Delayinder, your Shock-Bolt!" Lux called to him. That's right, he had landed a few hits on Olaf.

Using his precious few moments of invulnerability, he aimed his arm at Olaf and the Shock-Bolt mechanism began to whir. At point blank, there was no dodging. Delan's arm jerked from the recoil of the Shock-Bolt, and thunder split the air as Olaf was propelled backward -alight in blue flames before he even hit the ground.

The rest of the enemy team turned to retreat but Lux was not having any of that. She tossed out a singularity of light, it's blinding brightness causing the enemy champions to become disoriented before the ball detonated and burned them all with arcane energy.

Already disoriented and now wounded, Kayle and Vayne swooped in to bring both Nautilus and Gragas to swift demises at the tip of blade and crossbow bolt. Just as it seemed that Varus was going to escape the fray, Vayne removed the large crossbow adorning her back, dropped to one knee and took aim. Squeezing the trigger, she fired a massive crossbow bolt of silver at the fleeing archer. The bolt impacted him between the shoulder blades, and he was engulfed in blue flames before he even hit the ground.

"Stars hear me!" Soraka chanted, and a shaft of golden light descended from the sky upon them. The arrow imbedded in Delan's knee dissolved and he felt some of his other wounds sealing as well. "Come now, we have one final push!"

While the enemy team was still stuck in limbo, waiting for enough energy to gather at the fountain to bring them back to the field, Delan's team pushed down the middle lane all the way to the enemy nexus.

It was an adrenaline fueled mad dash that ended with the entire team beating the giant purple nexus crystal until it cracked, crumbled, and finally exploded.

_'Well done Delan! Very, very well done! This has been a great first match, and I'm proud to have had you as my first champion summoning,' _Nikos gushed.

_'You did very well summoner Nikos, I'm glad to have had you as my guide today. I doubt I would have done as well as I did without someone who knew and understood me so well.'_

The congratulatory exchange between Vekarion and Nikos was interrupted when Vayne approached.

"Can I ask you something?" She appeared as if she was somewhat befuddled.

"Why did you save me back there? We left you to die more than once so... why?" Their other teammates seemed to be listening for this answer as well.

Delan offered a chuckle before reaching up and removing his helmet, smile plastered on his face.

"Because an old friend taught me to always believe in others as I wish them to believe in me. Coming into this match you may not have believed in me, but in the future, I hope you can find me dependable."

Vayne offered an amused scoff.

"You realize how cheesy that sounds right?"

Delayinder's smile spread into a grin.

"Yes, but what did you expect from a man who identifies as "GUARDIAN" and "Paragon"?"

It wasn't much longer before the champions were returned to where they were before being summoned. It was certainly a trial by fire, but next time Delan would be prepared. Next time, he would show them what he could really do.

For the first time since he had arrived, Paragon Delayinder Vekarion considered that this posting might not be so bad for a final assignment.


End file.
